One of the most common arrangements for supporting power transmission lines includes a plurality of electrical insulators mounted on wooden cross-arms attached to vertical wooden poles so as to provide isolation between the lines and the environment. Such wooden support structures have a number of shortcomings, such as lack of durability, difficulty of construction, and dangerous conditions for workers and animals. The wooden poles and cross-arms are subject to deterioration from exposure to the environment and from internal defects in the materials.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,682,747 and 6,027,082 each teach the use of a modular power transmission support structures formed of, in some embodiments, a polyester resin material that addressed at least some of the shortcomings of prior wooden support structures. However, the ground wires associated with utility poles still pose problems. Currently, ground wires are merely stapled to the wooden pole or held off with a V-shaped standoff brackets. In either case, they are exposed to the environment and may be easily contacted by humans or animals, which may cause severe injury or death resulting from electrocution.